


Expanding

by adiwriting



Series: Hearing Verse [40]
Category: Glee
Genre: Deaf Character, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-21
Updated: 2015-01-21
Packaged: 2018-03-08 11:33:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,946
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3207656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adiwriting/pseuds/adiwriting
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kurt and Blaine have decided they don't want anymore kids. They hare more than happy with the two beautiful daughters they have already... then Li comes into their life and they simply can't turn their backs on her. Part of the Hearing!Verse</p>
            </blockquote>





	Expanding

Burt watches from the island as Carole and Mei try to help Maddy put candy onto the gingerbread house they’ve just finished assembling. It’s the morning of Christmas Eve and they are doing their best to keep the girls distracted so that they won’t get too upset over the fact their fathers both left for the airport so early that morning that they were still asleep. Burt knows it couldn’t be helped, but he still wishes that the boys could have waited another day or two, just so that they could have the entire family together for Christmas. But as Kurt had pointed out, their entire family wouldn’t be together until they could go and get their newest addition. 

“Issa how!” Maddy exclaims happily, while Mei tries to get her to sign the word HOUSE, which just ends up looking like the word SWIMMING.

Mei sighs, understanding how pointless it is to expect perfection from a one year old. She puts her chin in her hand and while she’s looking at the cookie house, Burt sees the far-away look in her eyes that means she’s feeling the absence of her parents more than she’s letting on. He understands, he’s feeling Kurt’s absence, too. He’s never spent a Christmas away from his son. 

MAYBE IT WILL SNOW ENOUGH TO BUILD A SNOWMAN, Burt signs, acting far more excited than the situation merits, but it’s all for the girls’ benefit. He knows how much Mei loves the snow and thus far, it hasn’t snowed more than a light dusting all year. Today, the snow is coming down thick outside and it looks like it might actually stick this time around. It’ll be a white Christmas for sure. Thankfully, the boys flight took off before it could start coming down. 

CAN WE PLAY OUTSIDE? Mei asks, her face lighting up as she looks out the big windows at the snowflakes coming down. 

LET’S WAIT A LITTLE BIT, Carole says. IF WE GIVE IT SOME TIME, THERE WILL ACTUALLY BE SOME SNOW TO PLAY WITH. LET’S FINISH THE HOUSE FIRST AND THEN WE CAN GO UPSTAIRS AND GET DRESSED. 

AND THEN GO OUTSIDE? Mei asks. 

OF COURSE, Burt signs with a smile, watching as Mei’s attention returns to the gingerbread house with renewed excitement. She’s temporarily forgotten about missing her fathers, but Burt knows it won’t be the last time they have to distract the girls from their sadness. Nobody wants to spend Christmas without their parents. 

****

It’s been a long day of fun in the sun at Coney Island with Santana and Dani, celebrating the 4th of July with delicious BBQ, swimming at the beach, a visit to the aquarium, and finally some panic inducing sparklers Santana gave Mei (Blaine had held her hand the entire time, but still!). Rachel and Elliot showed up around 4pm and even Sebastian and his new boyfriend Carter showed up around 5:30pm to get a good spot for the fireworks, but the Hummel-Anderson family couldn’t stay, no matter how much their friends begged. They were dads with sleep schedules to concern themselves with and Maddy had already skipped her second nap and was sure to be a terror the next three days because of it. So they’d said their goodbyes and headed back home for the night, but not before stopping in for dinner at the Wu’s. 

They are at their usual table in the restaurant, near the back so that Mrs. Wu can see them from the kitchen. Maddy is sound asleep in her stroller, snoring loudly from where she’s still getting over a cold. She’d eaten exactly one piece of dried seaweed and one bite of rice before passing out, her limbs every which way. The image is now on both Kurt and Blaine’s Instagrams, something she’s bound to be angry at once she’s old enough to understand, but she’s too adorable for either of them to be able to resist posting the photo. Mr. Wu is playing a Chinese game with Mei that Kurt’s never understood how to play, no matter how many times the rules have been explained to him. Mrs. Wu stops by every few minutes to supply them with more food and snacks, until Kurt has to tell her if Mei eats any more today, she’s going to be sick, which only causes Mrs. Wu to prepare a special soup for Mei instead, intent on settling her stomach. 

All in all, it’s a typical night at the Wu’s Chinese restaurant that they’ve been coming to since Mei’s first Christmas with them. They try to come once a week, sometimes it’s more, sometimes it’s less. Kurt and Blaine have discussed it, and they know it’s important for Mei to have a piece of her home country. The Wu’s have taken them in and treat Mei like their own granddaughter. The older couple have taught them a lot about Chinese culture so they can be sensitive to Mei’s needs. 

YOU’RE SUNBURNED, Blaine signs to Kurt, pointing at his face and wearing a look of sympathy. 

I KNOW, he says, pressing lightly on his cheeks. Even the slightest touch causes him to hiss. I WAS SO BUSY PUTTING SUNSCREEN ON THE GIRLS, I FORGOT TO PUT IT ON MYSELF. 

Blaine frowns, and Kurt knows that he’s likely feeling guilty for not reminding Kurt to take care of himself. Sometimes the two of them get so caught up in taking care of the girls that they forget to take care of each other. 

IT’S FINE, he reassures him. YOU CAN PUT SOME ALOE ON ME AFTER THE GIRLS GO TO BED. 

WHY DOES EVERYTHING YOU SAY, SOUND LIKE AN INNUENDO? Blaine asks, leaning into his side. He enjoys these moments, when the two of them can focus on each other and not worry about their girls. He loves being a parent more than anything in the world, but he’s also immensely grateful that they have such a strong support system that allows them moments like this every once in awhile. With his crazy schedule, he’s hardly home enough as it is, so he has to take every second with his husband he can get. 

He’s about to lean in for a kiss, when Mei jumps up in the middle of them and declares her game over, excited that she’s won. Kurt sees Mr. Wu head back into the kitchen and back to work, and sighs. Their five minutes of husband time are up. 

I WANT TO SEE THE FIREWORKS! Mei complains for what must be the 50th time that day. 

THEY ARE TOO LATE, Blaine explains. IT’S GOING TO BE PAST YOUR BEDTIME. 

Mei pouts in Kurt’s lap, but knows better than to argue the point further. Blaine heads up to the front to pay their tab so they can head back home, when the phone rings and their life changes forever.

“Mr. Anderson-Hummel?” a woman asks once he answers his phone. 

“Yes?” he responds, his guard immediately up. He’d answered his phone so quickly he’d forgotten to check the caller ID first, assuming it was just his dad wanting to confirm flight dates for Labor Day. Ever since being on TV he’s had to be extra cautious about strangers, but he’s still not in the habit of checking his phone before answering it. He should be; he’s already changed his number twice thanks to hackers. 

He looks down at his phone. It’s an international call. Somebody from China — he’s familiar with the country code . 

"This is Bai, from Hope International. I work with Sunshine Village Orphanage in Beijing."

Kurt’s breath catches in his throat as his eyes instantly go to Mei, who’s dancing in his lap without a clue. He has no idea why the orphanage is calling, they haven’t followed up in well over a year. He instantly has flashes of them trying to take her back from them. They can’t. He won’t let them. 

"Mr. Anderson-Hummel?" Bai says, he’s unsure how long she’s been trying to catch his attention.

“What? Yeah… Yes?” He stumbles for words. 

WHAT’S WRONG? Blaine asks, coming back and looking at him concerned. IS IT MY MOM? He asks, moving to grab his phone to make sure he didn’t miss a message from his family. His mom’s been recently diagnosed with cancer and the entire family knows it is only matter of time before they get a phone call saying they need to come home. 

IT’S THE ADOPTION AGENCY, he signs before Blaine can work himself up into a frenzy. 

Except, the news that it’s not about Blaine’s mom but instead about Mei doesn’t help. Blaine’s face turns white and his eyes grow panicked. He’s clearly thinking the same thing Kurt is — they want Mei. 

"I’m not supposed to be calling you, this is breaking all sorts of rules, but I had to," Bai says. 

"What is it?" he asks, handing Mei to Blaine so that he has a free hand to cover his other ear. It’s too loud to hear clearly in the restaurant and Kurt needs to make sure he gets every word. 

“A few weeks ago we had a baby dropped off. She’s deaf like Mei,” Bai explains. 

"Okay?" He’s not entirely sure where she’s going with this. Does she want advice? What does a new baby have to do with Mei?

"We don’t usually have trouble placing children this young. There’s a long list of perspective parents asking to specifically adopt children under 12 months. However…" She trails off, but Kurt knows exactly what the problem is. 

"Nobody will adopt a deaf child," Kurt fills in for her. It sucks, but he’s not surprised. He deals with this kind of ignorance on a daily basis, especially now that he’s famous. He can’t even count the amount of articles written about him and his family that make him out to be some sort of hero for marrying Blaine and adopting Mei. The stigma attached to deafness, however wrong it is, is strong. There are many families that are comfortable adopting kids with autism, down’s syndrome, and many other disabilities, but for some reason deafness is something few people know how to work with. It’s too low-incidence, he guesses. 

"We aren’t setup for longterm infant care and our facilities are full as it is," she explains. "I was just informed that Li — that’s her name — will be moved down south."

"Ok?" he says, getting the feeling that he should know where she’s going with this, but the entire phone call has thrown him off and he can’t quite make the pieces fit. He feels like the entire world is shifting around and changing but he hasn’t given it permission to. 

"Well nobody will ever admit it and I’m not even entirely sure the rumors are real but-"

"But?" he prods for more.

WHAT? Blaine’s asking, but Kurt wouldn’t even know how to begin to interpret. He’s not even sure what Bai is saying. 

ONE MINUTE, he promises and Blaine is clearly worried but relents. 

"The place Li’s going… It’s not… Well… Did you ever see The Dying Rooms?” 

"What?!" Kurt practically yells causing several tables to look over and stare at them. "I thought that didn’t happen anymore?" Kurt asks, this time back to his normal tone but still incredulous.

He hasn’t actually seen the documentary she’s referring to, but he knows of it. How could he not after all the research they did on international adoption when they were first looking to adopt. They had wanted to make sure they adopted a child who was in need, but weren’t funding agencies and orphanages who mistreated and abused children. The entire reason they went with Hope International and Sunshine Village was because they were supposed to be legitimate.

He immediately pictures a sad little baby tied to a crib, crying and alone with nobody to care for her, nobody to feed her. He pictures his perfect little Mei in a place like that and wants to cry. He has to remind himself that they’d toured the orphanage when they’d picked Mei up. That he knows where she comes from and while it wasn’t a place he would like any child to grow up, there were beds for every child, plenty of food, and the caretakers at the orphanage seemed to genuinely care about their children, even if they were seriously understaffed. 

It makes him sick to think that this new baby could be treated with anything less than kindness and love. That this new baby could just be sent off to a new orphanage where the caretakers won’t be so kind and the food won’t be so plentiful. 

"If you ask our government or any adoption agency, they will tell you it doesn’t happen anymore, but from what I’ve heard there are still plenty of orphanages in rural areas where it does," Bai says with a sigh. Kurt shakes his head, how is that even possible?

"And that’s where they are sending Li?" he asks, already knowing the answer. He hangs his head and tries his best not to get emotionally attached to a baby he’s never even met, but it’s hard. He just keeps picturing Mei, and wonders how easily she would have been thrown away as well if they hadn’t come along to take her home. 

"If I can’t find another option for her," she says. 

"Wait, are you asking us to adopt her?” Kurt asks, and suddenly everything clicks into place and this phone call makes sense. She is trying to find a home for Li. 

Kurt looks up at his perfect family. Blaine has placed Mei into the stroller already next to Maddy, looking the picture of domesticity. What would a third child look like for them? The two of them have had lengthy discussions about whether or not to have more children and they both agreed that they are satisfied with their family of four. It’s a nice even number. Their girls fit comfortably in a double stroller which can be easily managed by Blaine when Kurt’s out of town for business. They don’t have to wait long at restaurants like other, bigger families do. Their girls each have their own bedroom at their apartment…They couldn’t be happier with Mei and Maddy. They’ve talked about more children and both of them have said no. 

Still, can he really, in good conscience, say no to a child that is unlikely to ever get adopted when they have more than enough means to care for another child?

"Technically I’m not asking anything, that would be against company policy," Bai says quickly. "I will, however, inform you that if you were to submit an application for adoption, I have plenty of connections to speed up the process and could guarantee you’d be approved before the New Year. That is, if you were to request another child."

"If we wanted another baby…” Kurt says slowly, not sure what to say to any of this. Of course they weren’t going to request another child. They’d agreed they were done having children. 

Blaine waves to get his attention before frantically signing ANOTHER BABY?! WHAT’S HAPPENING? 

Kurt knows he’s been reading his lips and deserves to know what’s happening on the other side of the conversation, but he doesn’t think he can keep up with Bai and explain everything to Blaine at the same time. Not when the situation is as complicated as it is. 

JUST LET ME FINISH, PLEASE, Kurt signs, before turning back to the phone. “We just had baby last year. Mei’s already got a little sister.”

Kurt looks down at his children and without realizing it, he’s already started picturing a third baby. His mind has already filled in a giggling baby sitting on Mei’s lap, holding her carefully like she used to hold Maddy when she was first born. He looks up to Blaine, who’s looking confused and anxious to find out all the details, but he’s not looking overwhelmed and he wonders if Blaine’s thinking the same thing he is. Is two really all they need? The girls have both turned out great, why wouldn’t a third? 

"I understand Mr. Anderson-Hummel, congratulations," she says, sounding disappointed. "If anyone asks, I was simply following up to see how Mei was doing."

"Wait," Kurt says, catching her before she can hang up. “How exactly could you speed up the process? It’s supposed to take years…” 

“I’m not at liberty to say at the moment, but if you were to go home right now and fill out an application, I can assure you the rest would work itself out,” she says. 

He really should be saying no. They’ve had long discussions on the topic and they’d come to a conclusion on the matter. They didn’t want to adopt anymore. Still, there’s a sparkle of something in Blaine’s eye, telling Kurt that even though he doesn’t entirely know what’s going on, he’s hopeful. It’s that sparkle mixed with the feeling of emptiness inside of himself, like they were missing part of their family, that brings him to say it.

“I’d have to talk to Blaine and see what he says before agreeing to anything.”

“Of course,” she says, a big sigh of relief, as if she knows their answer will be yes. Kurt’s not even positive that his answer will be yes, let alone Blaine’s, so he’s not sure where her confidence comes from exactly.

“How much time do we have?” he asks. 

"She’s being moved tomorrow morning, but if she were to be matched before then, it would put her transfer on hold,” Bai says. 

"Can you tell me a little bit about her?” Kurt asks, already kicking himself for asking the question. He knows that the more he hears about her, the more he’ll want her, but he can’t help it. If he’s going to go to Blaine and ask for another child, he’s going to need something more than ‘she’s deaf’ to go on. 

"Her name is Li. She’s suffering from malnutrition so she has some delayed development, but the doctors estimate she’s about 4-6 months old. She shows signs of neglect, but nothing a loving home and some proper nutrition wouldn’t fix.”

Kurt’s entire chest tightens as he hears that the girl had been neglected before. He wonders if she’s been abused in any other ways during her short life. “You don’t know how old she is exactly?” 

“We haven’t located her parents yet to have a birth record,” Bai says. “We technically would have to find her parents before we could legally adopt her out, but we have several leads and consent is rarely a problem for the kids who have been left on our doorstep.” 

"What kind of hearing loss does she have?” he asks, trying to keep his emotions out of the conversation and focus on the facts. What kind of parents just drop their kids at the doorstep of an orphanage and walks away? Though Kurt assumes it’s better than the kind that leave their kids in garbage cans and alleyways where they might never be found. No! He will not get too emotionally involved in this child’s life… not yet. 

"Extensive tests weren’t done, but she failed the hearing screening and she has yet to respond to any auditory stimulus while in our care,” she explains. 

Kurt finds himself nodding before he realizes that she can’t see him. It’s a force of habit acquired after a majority of his phone conversations are done over video phone. 

"I’ll have to call you back, is this number ok?" he asks. 

"No," Bai says quickly, but doesn’t explain herself further. 

She gives him an alternative number to reach her at and instructs him not to call until after 5pm Beijing time. When Kurt finally hangs up the phone, Blaine’s practically bursting at the seams from anxiety. 

WHAT HAPPENED? he asks, his hands shaking. THERE’S ANOTHER BABY? 

ONLY IF WE WANT ONE, Kurt signs, taking the stroller from Blaine and walking out the door, giving Blaine some time to process things. They walk down the street in relative silence for several blocks until they reach the subway. Once Blaine’s helped him down the steps and they are waiting for the next train, he turns back to him, ready to talk. 

WE ALWAYS SAID MEI AND MADDY WERE ENOUGH. 

THEY ARE ENOUGH, Kurt signs with a sad smile. Of course their girls were enough. How could they spend the rest of their lives being anything but grateful for their two beautiful girls, especially after the struggles they went through to get them?

DO YOU WANT ANOTHER BABY? Blaine asks, careful to stand behind the stroller so that Mei won’t see what they are talking about. 

Kurt doesn’t know how to answer the question. Honestly, he doesn’t think he wants another baby. At least, not just any baby. But they aren’t talking about just any baby, they are talking about Li, a little girl that he’s only known about for the last half hour and he’s already attached. 

IF YOU DON’T WANT ANOTHER BABY, I WON’T FORCE THE ISSUE, Kurt explains, causing Blaine’s eyes to widen in surprise. YOU’RE THE ONE THAT STAYS AT HOME WITH THE KIDS AND IT WOULD BE UNFAIR FOR ME TO PUT ANOTHER KID IN THE HOUSE WHEN YOU’RE ALREADY SO BUSY WITH MEI AND MADDY… 

BUT YOU WANT ANOTHER KID, Blaine signs, surprised. YOU ALWAYS SAID YOU DIDN’T WANT ANY MORE KIDS. 

I WANT WHAT YOU WANT, he signs as the train approaches. They get themselves on and situated before continuing the conversation. 

OK, BUT YOU WANT ANOTHER KID, Blaine signs, looking at him expectantly, carful to make sure that Mei is completely absorbed in the book she has in her lap and won’t oversee them. 

NOT JUST ANY KID… LI, he explains. SHE’S DEAF AND HAS BEEN NEGLECTED AND SHE’S GOING TO GET TRANSFERRED TO A REALLY BAD ORPHANAGE IF WE DON’T ADOPT HER. 

Blaine gives him a knowing look, and it’s not until Blaine’s opening his arms for him that he realizes he’s started crying. He allows himself to fall into Blaine’s arms and cry on his shoulder for the next few stops, uncaring who might be seeing them and videoing the entire thing to pass along to TMZ. Somewhere along the very short way, he’s stopped thinking of Li as just some kid, but started thinking of her as their kid. It was incredibly stupid of him. He’s known the pain of losing a kid before thanks to the horrible adoption process, and he knows better than to get attached before anything is finalized. Shit, he didn’t even have Blaine’s permission yet. 

Blaine rubs his back, comfortingly, and at some point Mei has gotten out of her stroller and has her arms wrapped around his legs. 

Blaine taps his shoulder lightly and when he looks up, he realizes they are at their stop. They make their way back to their apartment and Kurt takes the girls upstairs to get them into bed while Blaine puts away all of the things they’d brought with them to the beach — hanging up wet bathing suits and towels, putting sippy cups and water bottles into the dishwasher, and putting away all the toys and beach supplies they’d brought along. 

About 30 minutes later they find themselves at the kitchen table with a glass of wine each, ready to talk again. 

YOU KNOW WE CAN’T JUST ADOPT A GIRL BECAUSE WE FEEL SORRY FOR HER, Blaine signs. WE HAVE TO REALLY WANT HER, OTHERWISE IT’S NOT FAIR TO HER OR TO OUR FAMILY. 

I KNOW THAT, he signs, not sure how to voice his feelings. It wasn’t just a feeling of pity he held for the girl, they were real feelings of concern, the same feelings of concern he got for Maddy when she had an ear infection or for Mei when she slipped on the sidewalk and needed stitches. 

I DON’T WANT TO SAY YES, ONLY FOR THEM TO SAY NO DOWN THE ROAD, Blaine signs, and when Kurt looks up he can see the ghosts of too many failed attempts, too many sleepless nights wondering if they would ever be good enough to be parents. It breaks his heart to see, because he’s thought the pain of those failed attempts where washed away with the joy of Mei and then Maddy, but here he went and dug up all of their old wounds without thinking. 

WE DON’T HAVE TO SAY YES, he reassures him, getting up out of his seat to go sit in Blaine’s lap. He nuzzles into Blaine’s neck, making sure he knows that he’s here for him if he needs anything. 

I WANT TO, Blaine admits, signing so small that Kurt almost misses it. 

DON’T SAY YES JUST BECAUSE YOU THINK IT’S WHAT I WANT. 

IT’S WHAT I WANT, TOO, Blaine signs. IT’S WHAT I’VE ALWAYS WANTED, I JUST DIDN’T THINK WE’D GET APPROVED TWICE AND I WAS TOO SCARED TO TRY. 

THEY’RE ASKING US THIS TIME, he signs, making sure that Blaine really sees him. THEY’VE ALREADY SAID YES TO US. I CAN’T PROMISE NOTHING BAD WILL HAPPEN AGAIN, BUT THEY SEEKED US OUT THIS TIME. 

Blaine smiles, it’s small and timid, but it’s there and that’s how Kurt knows he’s already agreed to adopting Li. 

****

“Silent night, holy night,” they all sing, while carefully lighting their own candles. 

It’s the evening of Christmas Eve and Burt wouldn’t typically be spending it at a church, but it was an Anderson Family tradition to go to service on Christmas Eve and they’d been happy to indulge, especially knowing that this could be Gloria’s last. Cooper’s got Mei in his arms, helping her carefully hold her own candle, while Burt helps out Maddy. Cooper’s own kids, Hannah and Tyler, are further down the pew with their mother and Gloria. With Finn and his family only feet away in the pew ahead of them, Kurt and Blaine’s absence is felt deeply. 

The song concludes and Burt helps Maddy blow out her candle before helping her back into her coat. 

“Gloria invited you all back to the house for dinner,” Cooper informs them. 

“Oh, she shouldn’t be cooking for everyone,” Carole says. 

“Don’t worry, we’re catering in,” Cooper says. “Much to her dismay. She was determined to cook a feast, but she just doesn’t have the energy.” 

“So long as she’s up for it,” Burt agrees and pretty soon they are all over at the Anderson’s family home watching all of the kids run around the living room building an old train set of Blaine’s. It’s loud, lively, and full of joy, but it doesn’t fill the void in Burt’s heart. 

“He’ll be home soon,” Gloria whispers into his ear and he nods. He knows that. Logically he knows that the boys won’t be gone any longer than a few days, at most a week or two if the paperwork gets delayed. He’s spent much longer stretches of time away from Kurt, but there’s just something about being away from his kid at Christmas that doesn’t sit right with him. 

GRANDPA LOOK! Mei shows him a toy train that moves on it’s own when it’s put down on the tracks.

WOW, THAT’S NEAT, he smiles brightly, doing his best to seemed genuinely excited. As long as the girls were too distracted to notice their dads weren’t around, he wouldn’t dwell on it. Mei turns back to Hannah, Tyler and Riley to continue playing, Bill and Cooper helping them assemble the old tracks. 

He looks over to see Maddy shrieking with laughter as Finn tosses her up into the air, each time higher and higher while Cooper’s wife chastises him. Shawn pulls on Finn’s leg demanding his own turn. Carole is in the kitchen with Finn’s wife, checking Aaron over to make sure that the cough he’s developed today isn’t anything to worry over, forever the person everyone goes to with their baby questions despite the fact that she’s no longer a practicing nurse. 

There are more than enough things to keep him distracted for the next few hours, so it isn’t until he’s slipping into bed that night that he remembers again. It shouldn’t be him sneaking Santa presents onto the front porch (because apparently the idea of Santa coming inside is too traumatizing) and eating Christmas cookies so that the kids will think Santa ate them, it’s supposed to be Kurt and Blaine doing that job. 

“Going to get Li is more important,” Carole reminds him, and he’s never quite sure how his wife does that. How she always knows exactly what he’s worrying about and when he’s worrying over it, but she does. 

“I know, I know,” he grumbles, turning out the light before cuddling into her side for warmth. They’d moved their space heater into the girls’ room so that they wouldn’t get cold in the middle of the night, but the side effect to that was their bedroom now feels too drafty. He really needs to stop putting it off and install new windows on the second floor. 

“If you know, then why are you being such a grinch?” Carole teases him, and though he can’t see in the dark, he can just tell she’s smirking at him. 

“A family should be together on Christmas,” he sighs. 

“Which is why the boys went to go get Li,” she says. “The girls have us, Li doesn’t have anyone. Do you really want our granddaughter spending Christmas alone in an orphanage? Do you really want the boys here, when you know their minds will be with Li, worried over whether or not she’s getting enough to eat, or if she has a coat or enough blankets?” 

Carole’s right, as usual. Though you’ll be hard pressed to hear him admit that. 

****

MEI’S SNOW PANTS DON’T FIT, Blaine signs, Mei following behind him in a too tight pair of snow pants that barely touch her ankles and refuse to snap closed. He does his best not to laugh at how sad she looks. He knows that her favorite thing in the world is to play outside in the snow. 

I’LL ADD IT TO THE LIST, Kurt signs, picking up his pen to write it down on their ever growing shopping list. They’ve only got today and tomorrow to finish shopping and pack all of their bags in order to go back to Ohio for Christmas. They haven’t spent a Christmas away from New York since they had the kids, but Gloria can’t travel this year and Blaine’s not about to miss a holiday with his family — nor should he. They’ve been flying back home every chance they can get since her diagnosis this past summer, squeezing in as much grandparent time as they can, even when that meant most of the time Kurt wasn’t traveling back home with them. 

WHAT ABOUT SANTA? Mei asks them, one of hundreds of questions she’s asked since finding out they would not be home for Christmas.

SANTA KNOWS WHERE YOU’LL BE, Blaine explains to her, just like they’ve had to explain that they would pack up all of her Christmas presents, bake Christmas cookies at Grandma’s, and go ice skating at a park near Uncle Finn’s house. 

BUT HOW WILL SANTA KNOW? she doesn’t seem sold on the idea of being away from home, but Kurt knows she’ll be fine once they get to Ohio. 

BECAUSE HE KNOWS EVERYTHING, Blaine signs. 

Kurt hears Maddy start to cry at the same time as the lights start to flicker and catch Blaine’s attention. He excuses himself to go get their daughter up from her nap. Mei walks over to sit next to him as he sorts through piles of clothes that need to get packed. 

WHAT’S UP? Kurt asks, sensing that she’s wanting to tell him something. 

I DON’T WANT SANTA TO COME TO GRANDMA AND GRANDPA’S HOUSE, Mei signs. THEY DON’T HAVE A DOORMAN. 

Kurt knows ‘don’t have a doorman’ is her 6 year old way of voicing the fact that she’s scared of strangers coming into the house. It’s an old fear of hers, one she’s always had about Santa and people in general. However, since they’ve moved into this home, they’ve carefully explained to Mei that strangers can’t get in because they have a doorman downstairs that stops strangers from coming up. That has eased her worries enough, at least, until now. 

WHY DON’T WE TELL SANTA TO LEAVE THE PRESENTS OUTSIDE AND YOUR DADDY AND I CAN BRING THEM IN IN THE MORNING? Kurt signs, trying to figure out a way to ease her fears without simply telling her that she has nothing to worry about because Santa isn’t real. She’s 6 and they’ve still got at least a few more years of magic in them. 

HE’S GOING TO WANT HIS COOKIES, she tells him. 

WELL WE CAN PUT THE COOKIES ON THE FRONT PORCH THEN, he explains. She makes him pinkie swear that Santa won’t come in the house, but after he does, she’s back to being excited about Christmas again and runs off to continue packing the bag of books and toys she’s allowed to bring on the plane. 

Blaine comes into the room carrying a still tired Maddy. He sits down on the love seat in the room and helps Maddy eat her mid-morning snack. 

WE HAVE TO PUT COOKIES ON THE FRONT PORCH SO SANTA DOESN’T COME IN THE HOUSE, Kurt passes the message along so that, between the two of them, one of them will remember. 

IS SHE STILL SCARED OF SANTA? Blaine asks with an amused grin. 

ONLY OUR KID, Kurt laughs. 

An hour later, Kurt bribes Blaine to go get everything on their list, promising to reward him later once the girls have gone to bed. He’s stressed out, tired, and really doesn’t want to have to dodge the paparazzi that are sure to find him or deal with any fans — as much as he usually loves meeting them. He’s sitting down to a movie with the girls, prepared to interpret for Mei since she’s still too young to understand the captions, when he phone rings and he finds out that Li’s visa has been approved and they are allowed to come and pick Li up as soon as they can get travel visas for themselves. 

When Kurt hangs up the phone, he wastes no time in telling Blaine to come home immediately so that they can get to the Chinese consulate before it closes at 3:30pm today. He then calls Sebastian over to babysit. Approximately 45 minutes later, Blaine arrives home, quickly followed by Sebastian. 

BE GOOD FOR UNCLE SEBASTIAN, they tell the girls as they rush out the door, promising to be back as soon as possible. They take the subway to the Chinese consulate. Kurt first suggests a cab to make it there quicker, but Blaine reminds him that traffic this time of year is always horrendous. They rush into the building with only an hour to go before closing time and pray the line isn’t long. It is, but thankfully they don’t get cut off and sent home. As they wait in line, Kurt can see Blaine growing more and more anxious with every passing minute.

WHAT’S WRONG? he asks, nudging Blaine with his elbow to get him to look at him. 

WHAT IF I CAN’T BE A GOOD DAD TO ALL OF THEM? Blaine asks, seemingly out of the blue.

Kurt’s surprised to hear it. Blaine is Mr. Dad. He has an entire blog about family and his YouTube channel about parenting has a quarter of a million subscribers. Even before they had kids, Blaine was like a second father to most of the students he taught at the Lexington School for the Deaf. Blaine, more than anyone he’s ever known, is meant to be around kids. They naturally gravitate to him and the way Blaine’s face lights up around a child… it’s magical. 

YOU’RE AN AMAZING DAD, he reassures him, still wondering where this is all coming from. Usually Blaine’s the one reassuring him that he’s not a horrible parent. 

THANKS, Blaine shrugs the compliment off. IT’S JUST, SOMETIMES I GET OVERWHELMED AND I FEEL LIKE I DON’T HAVE ENOUGH ARMS TO DO EVERYTHING THAT NEEDS TO GET DONE. 

EVERY PARENT FEELS THAT WAY, he signs. 

I ALREADY SPLIT MY TIME BETWEEN TWO KIDS, WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I HAVE TO SPLIT MY TIME BETWEEN THREE? Blaine asks. 

I HATE TO TELL YOU THIS, BUT IT’S A LITTLE LATE TO BE GETTING COLD FEET, he signs, holding back his tears. If Blaine tells him that he doesn’t want to adopt Li anymore, he’ll be crushed. 

I’M NOT BACKING OUT, Blaine signs. I’M JUST WORRIED. HOW ARE WE GOING TO PARENT THREE KIDS? YOU’RE NOT ALWAYS HOME TO HELP. 

YOU’LL MAKE IT WORK, Kurt signs, trying not to feel like he’s being punched in the gut. He knows that his work takes him away from home a lot and that means he can’t always be home with his kids. He lives with enough guilt over that without it being pointed out to him. 

I’M SORRY, YOU’RE RIGHT, he signs. I’M JUST ANXIOUS. 

THE GIRLS LOVE YOU, Kurt signs, leaning in to kiss the frown off of Blaine’s face. He knows that Blaine gets like this when he’s stressed, and he doesn’t mean to stress Kurt out with him. THERE ISN’T A SINGLE OTHER PERSON I WOULD TRUST MY KIDS WITH MORE THAN YOU. 

Blaine smiles at him as they are called to the teller. She looks annoyed when they tell her they need a rush on their visas. She informs them that there is a charge for putting a rush in and that they are already past the time needed in order to receive it today. They assure her that they are okay with the fees and that tomorrow will be perfectly fine, which apparently is not the answer she wants to hear as she grumbles over the extra paperwork a rushed visa requires. Kurt interprets every last grumble to Blaine, as Blaine signs back some few choice words to the lady that Kurt doesn’t interpret. They do want to get their visas after all. 

After their paperwork has been signed and their fees have been paid, they book two tickets to Beijing on their way home. They will fly out of Columbus on Christmas Eve at 9am. It’s the soonest they can realistically leave. The girls are too young to handle the long flight when they would only be staying a few days, so they’ll have to fly them out to stay with their grandparents. Kurt and Blaine will miss Christmas— a fact that makes both boys almost postpone the entire trip, until Sebastian reminds them that they’d much rather spend Christmas rescuing one daughter from an overpopulated orphanage than with their two well fed, much loved, happy daughters who are sure to barely notice their absence as long as they are being spoiled by their grandparents. Then they sit both girls down and explain that they are going to have a new baby sister. They’d put off telling the girls until they were absolutely certain that Li would be coming. Mei is excited. Maddy is too young to understand the news, but Kurt knows she’ll be excited enough when the time comes. 

****

"Maddy, what does Santa say?" Burt says, being careful to sign at the same time as he always is whenever either Blaine or Mei are around. 

"Ho, Ho, Ho," Maddy says, patting her belly while making an H with her hand. Burt’s not sure where she picked that up, but he can’t help but laugh at the look of seriousness on Maddy’s face while answering the question. 

"You’re so smart," he says, to which Maddy simply signs SMART. 

Maddy’s still too young to have mastered a single language, which is why she constantly moves between ASL and spoken English without realizing it. Blaine says that she speaks to Mei and him without realizing they can’t hear her. It’s something they are working on. But Deaf or not, Burt’s amazed, Blaine’s the only one of them that actually understands what she’s saying half the time. 

"Dada?" Maddy asks, looking around the room like she’s done for the last two days, wondering what happened to her daddy. 

"Daddy’s not here. He’s going to get your new sister," Burt explains for the hundredth time. Maddy shakes her head and points to Mei. 

"Mei der."

"No, they are getting your new sister, Li."

"Papa?"

"Papa is gone too," Burt explains. 

SHE DOESNT UNDERSTAND, Mei comes over to him and explains. DADDY AND PAPA WILL BE BACK LATER. 

LATER? Maddy signs

Mei nods, to which Maddy shrugs and goes back to digging into the stocking she’d received earlier that morning. They’d only been allowed to open their Santa gifts upon waking up that morning. They were waiting for the Hudson and Anderson clan to all arrive before opening the rest.

Burt’s phone buzzes in his pocket and he pulls it out to see a text from Kurt. 

Merry Christmas! Now get on FaceTime so I can see everyone! 

Burt chuckles to himself, glad to see that the boys have clearly arrived safe and sound and only slightly perturbed that he knows their flight landed close to seven hours before they decided to text him. 

Burt grabs his iPad off of the coffee table and waves the girls over to him before logging in and calling Kurt. 

“Papa! Dada!” Maddy screams the second her parents appear on the screen in front of her. Burt’s heart warms when he hears Kurt’s laugh, even if he wishes it didn’t have to be through a computer screen. 

HI GIRLS! Blaine and Kurt both sign. 

SANTA DIDN’T COME IN THE HOUSE! Mei immediately tells them, not bothering with a ‘hello’ or ‘Merry Christmas’. When you're 6, you don’t need things like formalities. 

OH GOOD, Kurt signs. DID YOU LEAVE THE COOKIES ON THE PORCH? 

YEAH, Mei signs. GRANDMA AND I PUT THEM OUT THERE, BUT WE DIDN’T LEAVE MILK. SHE SAID IT WAS TOO COLD. 

THAT’S PROBABLY A GOOD IDEA, Blaine signs. DID SANTA BRING YOU PRESENTS? 

Mei nods, before running off to gather all of the gifts she’d gotten to show her dads, who obviously already know what she has received, having picked out the gifts themselves. 

HOW’S CHINA? Burt asks, taking advantage of Mei’s momentary distraction to talk with his boys. Maddy is petting the screen and repeatedly saying, “Dada, papa,” but there is still enough space for his signs to be seen. 

IT’S A MESS, HONESTLY, Kurt signs, explaining how they were able to see Li almost as soon as they landed for about an hour or so, but after that everything had gone downhill. There was some form that hadn’t been signed yet and the only person with the approval to sign it was out of the country for the next several days. Then somebody had leaked their hotel information to the Chinese press so their hotel was swarmed with thousands of fans. 

PLUS, I THINK I GOT FOOD POISONING, Blaine explains, and now that he mentions it, he does look incredibly pale.

YEAH, SO WE CAN’T COME BACK AS SOON AS WE’D HOPED BECAUSE WE CAN’T TAKE LI HOME WITHOUT THAT PAPERWORK SIGNED AND WE DON’T KNOW IF THEY WILL LET BLAINE PAST CUSTOMS IF HE’S SICK, Kurt signs, all while wearing big smiles so that Maddy won’t realize something is wrong. 

Just then, Mei pushes her way in between Burt’s legs carrying all of her gifts, so that she has the perfect view of her parents. 

OH WOW, THAT LOOKS LIKE A LOT OF STUFF, Blaine explains excitedly, and if Burt didn’t know to look for the signs, he would have no idea that he was feeling sick. 

I HAVE MORE PRESENTS, TOO, Mei explains. BUT GRANDPA AND GRANDMA SAID I CAN’T OPEN THEM UNTIL EVERYONE ELSE GETS HERE. 

WELL IT LOOKS LIKE YOU’VE GOT A LOT OF PRESENTS FROM SANTA TO PLAY WITH UNTIL THEN, Kurt signs. 

ARE YOU GOING TO COME HOME TODAY? Mei asks, looking hopeful. 

NOT YET, BABY, Blaine explains. WE’VE STILL GOT TO DO SOME WORK BEFORE WE CAN BRING LI HOME. 

WHERE IS SHE? Mei says, leaning in close to the screen and looking around, as if she could see further into the room, not entirely understanding how cameras work. 

SHE’S AT THE ORPHANAGE RIGHT NOW, THE ONE THAT YOU USED TO LIVE AT, Kurt explains carefully as Mei’s face scrunches up. He knows she claims not to remember much about her life before coming to live with them in America, but Burt sometimes wonders. Whenever they talk about China and her adoption, she seems to know more than she lets on. Kurt told him once that he doesn’t believe Mei necessarily has memories of what things looked like or any of the people, but that he thinks she remembers how it felt. She’s certainly had feelings of mistrust and fear of strangers that goes beyond what normal kids her age have, and it’s been that way ever since they brought her home. 

SO SHE’S ALONE AT CHRISTMAS? Mei asks, looking horrified. 

NO, NO, Blaine reassures her. IT’S NIGHTTIME HERE. WE SAW HER THIS MORNING FOR CHRISTMAS AND GAVE HER A PRESENT. NOW SHE’S SLEEPING. 

DID YOU SEE MR. AND MRS. WU? she asks. She’s still got that childhood innocence about her that doesn’t get the difference between going to a Chinese restaurant and going to China. 

NO, Kurt signs. BUT WE PROMISED MRS. WU WE WOULD BRING BABY LI IN AS SOON AS WE GET BACK TO NEW YORK. 

AND ME AND MADDY, Mei signs indignantly. 

OF COURSE, WE WILL ALL GO, Kurt signs. CAN YOU AND MADDY GO PLAY SO THAT WE CAN TALK WITH GRANDPA? 

Mei nods and blows them both kisses, helping Maddy do the same, before they wave goodbye and head off to the kitchen where Carole has finished making breakfast. 

ARE THEY DOING OKAY? Kurt asks, his face falling now that the girls are no longer in the room. Burt can see the unshed tears in his eyes. I HATE BEING AWAY FROM THEM ON CHRISTMAS. 

Blaine rubs his back, comfortingly, but Burt can tell he’s just as close to tears. Burt wants to help, but he doesn’t know what to say. He knows it’s not easy being away from your kids at Christmas. Shit, he’s been having a hard time being away from Kurt, and Kurt’s 33 years old. 

THEY ARE FINE, Burt assures them both. THEY’VE ASKED ABOUT YOU SEVERAL TIMES, BUT THEIR COUSINS ARE KEEPING THEM DISTRACTED ENOUGH THAT THERE HAVEN’T BEEN ANY TEARS YET. 

Kurt and Blaine both look relieved at the news, though they still continue to look dejected. 

SO WHAT’S THE PLAN? Burt asks, trying to keep he conversation moving forward before any of them can sink too far into their misery. 

BAI IS TRYING TO SEE IF THEY CAN OVERNIGHT THE FORMS TO WHERE THE GUY IS VACATIONING AND GET HIM TO SIGN IT AND OVERNIGHT IT BACK. SO IT’S POSSIBLE WE COULD HAVE THE PAPERWORK DONE AS EARLY AS MONDAY, Kurt explains while Blaine excuses himself. 

“Is he okay?” Burt asks. 

“If he’s not better by the morning, we’re going to to the doctor,” Kurt tells him. “He can’t go into the orphanage again if he’s sick. We’ve got an appointment with somebody first thing in the morning. Don’t worry about Blaine, I can take care of him. Just make sure the girls are okay.” 

Burt agrees, though he can’t help but feel useless when his son is on the other side of the world and obviously needs support. 

“Was Mei alright last night?” Kurt asks. “She didn’t freak out about Santa too much, did she?” 

“No, no,” he assures him. “She was nervous about it for a little bit, but Carole calmed her down pretty fast.” 

“Oh good,” Kurt says with a sigh. “She’s spent every Christmas in our bed because she was scared of him, I was really worried about her.” 

“I promise you the girls are fine,” Burt says as the doorbell rings, signaling that at least part of the family has finally arrived. 

“Well I guess I should let you go then,” Kurt says, obviously having heard the doorbell. 

“You know we’re only a phone call away,” he says. “Don’t worry about timezones or any of that nonsense. You can call me anytime.” 

“Thanks dad,” Kurt says, wiping a tear from his eyes. “I’ll let you know when we find out more about Li. Give the girls a big hug and a kiss from us.” 

“Merry Christmas, Bud,” he says, hanging up just as Finn’s kids come racing into the living room to jump on his lap and exclaim excitedly all about how Santa had come to their house this morning. 

****

I DON’T KNOW IF I CAN LEAVE THEM, Blaine signs as they make their way out the front door and towards the car that is waiting for them. It’s so early that the sun hasn’t even risen yet, but they have a two hour ride ahead of them and had to be at the airport three hours early for their international flight. 

THEY’LL BE OKAY, Kurt assures him, though he’s feeling upset at leaving his girls behind on Christmas Eve as well. They had been sure to tuck them in extra tight the night before and had read twice the normal amount of bedtime stories, savoring every last minute with the girls, but now that it is morning and they are leaving without so much as a goodbye kiss, it doesn’t seem like enough. 

Their driver helps them load everything into the car and they take off to the airport, both of them taking the time for a quick nap, not knowing if the opportunity will present itself again. One never knows who they will be sat next to on the plane and if they’ll be able fall asleep. 

When they get to the airport, it’s packed, which Kurt had expected. It’s always a nightmare trying to fly on holidays. The airport won’t allow them to check their bags at curbside for an international fight, citing security issues, so they head inside where the lines are incredibly long and don’t appear to be moving. He can hear people whispering and pointing their way, clearly recognizing him from TV. He tries not to visibly groan. He’s getting used to being recognized more and more as his TV show gains popularity with every episode, but he’s forgotten that he’s not in New York or LA where celebrity sightings are a daily occurrence and have lost their appeal to the natives. He’s been used to the casual hand shakes and “keep up the good work,” that happens when he’s around town, and the only time he has an issue with fans is when he’s in an area with a lot of tourists. He’s in Ohio now, though, and people aren’t as hands off. He can already see camera phones pointed in their direction. Blaine notices as well, Kurt can tell by the barely concealed glare he has. It’s far too early to be dealing with fans, especially when Blaine had spent the last fifteen minutes of their drive crying over how the girls were going to wake up without them there. 

Thankfully, one of the staff members directing people recognizes him and marches them straight to the front of the line where they can be checked in immediately. Part of him feels bad for cutting in line, but then he remembers all the camera phones and giggling girls who were debating coming up to him and he suddenly doesn’t feel so guilty. The trip is going to be stressful enough without having to put on a happy face the whole time. They get checked in and are escorted through security before they are brought to a private lounge area, with the promise that somebody will come and get them when it is time to board. 

WELL THAT DIDN’T SUCK, Kurt signs, helping himself to the complimentary coffee that’s been set out. 

Blaine doesn’t respond, but he doesn’t look like he’s ready to murder somebody anymore either, so Kurt calls it a win. They settle onto the only couch in the room, prepared for the long wait ahead now that they didn’t have to worry about hour long checkins and lines at security. 

I WONDER HOW OFTEN THIS PLACE GETS USED? Kurt asks, looking around at the small room. He hadn’t even been aware that the Columbus airport had a VIP waiting area, but apparently it did, though they didn’t advertise that fact. 

I’M HOPING NEVER, Blaine signs, moving around until his head is comfortably sitting in Kurt’s lap. Blaine takes a nap while Kurt pulls a script out of his bag, knowing he’s been needing to work on his lines. For about a two hours, they stay like this, Blaine dead to the world, looking so much like Maddy that he has to take a picture and post it two his Twitter with a side by side comparison and the caption Like father, like daughter. About ten minutes before their flight is supposed to board, a harried looking woman shows up to usher them to their terminal. When they get to the gate, the airline tells them that they’ve been updated to First Class. Kurt tells him that it won’t be necessary, but the flight attendant assures him that it is as much for their own sanity as it is for his. Apparently word has gotten out that Kurt would be on this flight and there are more than a few fans on the flight with them. 

Kurt hadn’t even thought about that possibility when he’d booked his tickets. He might have moved to a larger and more secure apartment in the city, and his family might be dressing in better clothes, but Kurt never expected that he’d be one of those people who fly in first class. He has always told himself that he won’t let fame affect him in that way — but that’s been naive of him. At some point, things like car services and first class airfare become a necessity rather than simply a luxury. If he wants to ‘keep it real,’ he’s going to have to find another way to do so that isn’t economy class. 

Neither of them complain when they get onto the plane, however, and find out that their seats actually fold out into a bed. Their last flight to China had been spent in cramped seats next to a man who smelled horrible. Neither of them had been able to sleep on the flight. That didn’t look like it would be an issue this time around. 

THANK GOD FOR YOUR TV SHOW, Blaine signs, laying back into his seat with a blissed out smile on his face. 

They both sleep for several hours of the flight, having not been able to get any over the past few nights due to all the stress and anxiety of the trip. When they wake up to eat, both of them are feeling more well rested and sane. 

DO YOU THINK IT’S A GOOD IDEA FOR THEM TO SLEEP IN THE SAME ROOM? Blaine asks as they eat lunch. They’d moved Mei out of the bigger room and into what used to be the nursery, bribing her with new room decor of her choosing if she agreed. They’ve put Maddy and Li into the larger room, arguing that while it seems excessive now, as they grow, they will want the space. 

WHERE ELSE WOULD SHE SLEEP? Kurt asks. THAT ROOM IS BIGGER THAN THE MASTER.

I’M JUST WORRIED ABOUT LI’S SLEEP SCHEDULE, Blaine explains. WE DON’T KNOW WHAT KIND OF SCHEDULE SHE’LL BE ON AND I DON’T WANT HER WAKING MADDY UP. AT LEAST WITH MEI, SHE WOULD SLEEP THROUGH IT. 

Kurt sighs, it’s one of the downfalls to having a mixed hearing/deaf household. While they never had to worry about noise levels when it was just Mei, with Maddy they did. 

SHE’LL ADJUST, he signs. WE’LL ALL ADJUST. IT’LL BE FINE. 

****

“Why doesn’t everyone go around the table and say one thing that they are thankful for this Christmas?” Gloria says, careful to sign her words for Mei. Burt’s envious. Even as sick as she is, she’s still one of the most beautiful signers that he knows.

“I’m really grateful to be able to spend the holidays at home,” Cooper says, managing to sign most of his words. 

They all nod in agreement and turn their attention to Cooper’s wife, who says she’s grateful for their new house. They make their way around the table to all of the adults, until it’s Burt’s turn. He’s about to answer when Mei bangs on the table and demands their attention for skipping over her. She stands up in her chair so that everyone can see her and signs, I’M THANKFUL FOR FAMILY AND MY DADS HELPING LI. I DON’T WANT MY SISTER COLD AND ALONE ON CHRISTMAS. 

They all look on in surprise as Mei calmly sits back down and continues eating her mashed potatoes as if she hasn’t just said something incredibly mature. They sit in silence, digesting what she’s said and how surprising it is to hear such maturity coming from a girl so young. Mei doesn’t think anything of it though, as she casually picks up a piece of ham for Maddy and blows on it before feeding it to her — ever the big sister. 

When he looks around the table, he notices several people with tears in their eyes, while the other half are staring down at their plates in deep thought. Burt wonders if they are thinking the same thing that he is? Are they all realizing how blessed they are? How crazy it is that they are sitting here eating a large meal, surrounded by family, with warm clothes and plenty of new presents while kids all over the world are spending the holiday just wishing for something the rest of the world has — family. 

Later on that night, while Carole and Gloria are upstairs putting the kids to bed and Cooper and Finn have already left with their sleepy kids in tow, Burt and Bill stand in the kitchen cleaning up. They are talking about football, Burt’s teasing Bill for his love of the Cowboys, an old argument they’ve had since they’d first met several years ago. He’s loading the dishwasher and hand washing the fine china, while Bill puts away the left overs. It’s a routine they’ve fallen into after many holidays together. Both of their phones go off at the same time, which can only mean that a mass group text has been sent to them. 

When Burt pulls his phone out of his pocket, he can’t help the tears that fill his eyes at the text from Blaine. There’s a picture of the two of them holding Li, a little girl with wide eyes and an even wider smile. The caption beneath it reads: They found the missing paperwork this morning. The adoption has been finalized! We’re on our way to the airport now xoxo Kurt, Blaine, & Li. 

“Oh, she’s perfect,” Bill says, and Burt’s too busy crying to agree. A slew of text messages start coming through, congratulations from Sebastian, Dani and Santana, Rachel, then Cooper and Finn. Congratulations from numbers Burt doesn’t even know flood his phone and he’s too happy, his hands are shaking too much from excitement to offer up his own. 

He hurries up the stairs to catch the girls before they fall asleep. He could wait until the morning, but he knows if anybody deserves to know that their family has just officially gotten bigger, it’s Mei and Maddy. He barrels through the door, earning him strange looks from Gloria and Carole, until he lets them in on the news. Thankfully, Carole is a quick enough thinker to pull out her phone and video the girls’ reactions as Mei and Maddy look at the picture of their little sister for the first time. Mei starts yelling really loud and jumping up and down on the bed, while Maddy holds Burt’s phone like one of her dolls while saying, “baby,” repeatedly, a huge smile on her face. 

It’s that video that they send to Kurt and Blaine, unable to get the girls to calm down enough to film anything coherent. He knows it’s that video they will watch repeatedly for years to come. 

****

Li is so small, Kurt thinks as he holds his youngest in his arms. She’s so much smaller than Maddy was at her age. For an 11 month old, she’s still wearing 3 month old clothes. Bai has assured them that with proper nutrition from here on out and regular doctor’s visits, she should be able to work her way back up to a normal size, but he’s still worried. He knows they are incredibly lucky to have had their adoption fast tracked at a rate almost unheard of for China. He doesn’t know how much longer Li could have honestly waited. He smiles at Blaine, who takes what must be the millionth picture since they’d left the orphanage this morning. 

SHE’S PERFECT, Blaine says, his eyes filled with so much love and affection that it causes his stomach to knot up with all the emotions he’s trying to suppress. If he lets himself feel everything he’s feeling, if he lets the stress of the last several months catch up with him now, while in public, he’ll break down and he doesn’t want to do that where everyone can see him. 

ARE YOU SURE YOU DON’T WANT TO HOLD HER? Kurt asks him. 

I DON’T WANT TO GET HER SICK, is Blaine’s response, even though he’d woken up feeling completely fine this morning and they were sure it was simply a 24 hour bug that has passed, they know it’s best not to take chances around a baby. 

Blaine reads him off several of the messages they’ve gotten congratulating them on their newest addition, but by far his favorite thing is a video that Carole has sent them of the girls reacting to the news. They are excited and Kurt’s pretty sure that their reactions mirrored his own when they got the phone call early this morning that they were clear to come pick Li up and take her home. Kurt had jumped up and down like Mei, while Blaine had sat there rocking back and forth in shock much like Maddy. They end up watching the video four more times, both wishing the girls could be with them now. 

They are able to film a private video for Mei and Maddy, letting them know that they will be home soon with their baby sister, before it’s time to go board. They quickly send the message to Burt to pass along, before gathering up all of their things and making their way onto the plane. As they settle into their seats, Kurt cuddles into Blaine's side and allows himself to finally breathe out a sigh of relief. They have a 17 hour flight ahead of them where the only thing they have to worry about is taking care of Li. There are no more paparazzi, no more fans, no more worries over missing paperwork and final interviews to pass, Li is in his arms and he doesn’t ever have to let her go. 

I LOVE YOU, Kurt signs for what is probably the hundredth time today, but each time brings an even brighter smile to Blaine’s face, so he’s not about to stop. 

I LOVE YOU, TOO. 

Once the fasten seatbelt signs is removed, Kurt repositions himself so that his head is in Blaine’s lap and that Li is resting on his chest. It shouldn’t be comfortable, but it is. With Blaine running his hand through his hair and his baby girl breathing steadily on his chest, he’s feeling more content than he has in awhile. For months, he’s been feeling like something was missing. There’s been a hole in his heart ever since he found out about Li, but now that she’s officially theirs, everything feels complete once again, the same way it felt when Mei came home with them and the day Maddy was born. Kurt knows, no matter how much fame and fortune he might get in his career, nothing will beat the feeling of success he has at having a loving husband and three wonderful children. 

****

“You’ve told them that they won’t be getting in until after dinner, perhaps not even before bedtime,” Carole says, coming over to sit at the stairs and put on her shoes. She’s on her way over to Finn’s house to babysit for an hour or so. 

“I’ve even bribed them with candy,” Burt laughs. “They are determined to stay there until their dads come home.” 

They both look over to the living room, where both Mei and Maddy are standing in front of the window, watching the cars pass by on the street. Maddy’s little head can just barely see over the ledge if she stands on her tiptoes. Burt’s already taken a picture and sent it to the boys, so they’ll be able to see it as soon as they land. He’s explained to the girls that it would be awhile before their parents came home, that they had plenty of time to play and watch movies before they started waiting. The girls haven’t moved since breakfast. 

“I’m sure they’ll get tired of waiting before too long and run off to play,” he reassures Carole, noticing her worried look. 

It’s true. The girls do eventually grow tired of staring out the window, Maddy much sooner than Mei. However, they simply drag their toys to the entryway of the house, claiming they want to make sure they are the first ones who get to see Li when she gets here. So he spends the day trying not to trip over toys in the too crowded entryway as he moves around the house trying to get some accounting done for the shop while still taking care of the girls. He doesn’t complain though. He knows it’s been a rough few days for them, having never been left alone without at least one of their parents with them. He doesn’t complain as they eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch, right there in the entryway. He says nothing when they order pizza for dinner and he can barely get the door open past all of their stuff in order to pay the guy. He knows it’s a one-time deal and makes do. 

But when 7pm rolls around and their dads still aren’t home yet, despite landing 3 hours earlier, Burt declares it time to clean up and get ready for bed. They’ve spent the entire day sitting on the cold tile, and he can’t let them completely ignore their bedtimes, no matter how important the reason. Carole carries Maddy up to bed, who has already fallen asleep for the night, while Burt helps Mei move all of their toys back to the toy box in the family room. 

They’ve just finished cleaning up and are on their way up the stairs when the door opens. Mei doesn’t notice, but he does. He stops her and gets her to turn around, loving the way her entire face lights up as Kurt and Blaine walk in the door, Blaine loaded down by a car seat and several bags, while Kurt carries Li. 

DADDY! PAPA! Mei signs, jumping off the bottom step and into Blaine’s arms, who just barely catches her. Blaine collapses against the wall from the extra weight and Burt moves down the stairs to help him get untangled from all the bags so that he doesn’t drop Mei. 

I GUESS THIS IS MY NEW GRANDDAUGHTER, Burt signs, waving at Li, who’s eyes look even bigger in person. She’s much smaller than she looked in the picture, but she’s smiling and so Burt does his best not to worry. 

“Is that them?” Carole calls out quietly from the top of the stairs, mindful of Maddy, who’s sleeping upstairs. 

“Yeah, they’re home,” Burt lets her know. 

As she comes down the stairs, she directs them into the living room so they aren’t all squeezed into the small entry way, then hugs each of the boys tight. 

WE ARE SO HAPPY YOU’RE HOME, she signs. 

I MISSED YOU, Mei signs, snuggling into Blaine’s chest while watching Li curiously. SHE’S SO LITTLE, she comments. 

SHE’S GOING TO NEED ALL OF OUR HELP TO GROW UP BIG AND STRONG LIKE YOU AND MADDY, Kurt tells her. 

They exchange a few more words, before Carole offers to take Mei up to bed for them, but the boys refuse. They want to do it. They head upstairs where Carole has set up Kurt’s old room with a crib for Li to sleep in. Mei and Maddy have both been sleeping in Finn’s old bedroom. 

“I’m so glad they're home,” Burt says, listening as little feet move around upstairs followed by larger ones. 

“It’ll be sad when they all go back to New York,” Carole confesses. “I’ve gotten used to having kids in the house again.” 

“I guess we’ll just have to start babysitting Finn’s kids more often,” he says, leading her into the family room so they can relax and watch TV together, knowing that Kurt will want some space to be with his family. They’ll be able to see them all tomorrow and catch up. He’s just relieved to know that his son is finally home, he doesn’t care if he doesn’t see him again until the following morning. 

****

As it turns out, Li won’t sleep unless somebody is holding her. Mei refuses to go to her own room now that she knows her dads are home. And when Maddy wakes up to Li’s cries, she refuses to be left out and marches herself right into Kurt’s room in typical Maddy fashion. This is how Kurt finds himself waking up the next morning to his family of five all sleeping in the same bed. Li and Maddy are between the two of them, Blaine being nervous they would fall off the end of the bed, and Mei is at the foot of the bed, sprawled out like a starfish, her weight uncomfortable on top of his legs. It’s perfect. 

With everyone else still asleep, he grabs his phone off the nightstand and takes a selfie, somehow managing to fit them all into the shot, though Mei and Blaine just barely make it in. It’s this picture that he posts to Instagram, announcing to the rest of the world that their family has once again welcomed a new member. In a few days, Blaine will post their adoption story to his blog with several more details and pictures. Sebastian will post a YouTube video of him meeting Li for the first time. Several weeks from now, he’ll answer questions about it on the Ellen show. For now, though, this is the picture he choses to share with the world, and man… if it’s not one of the fastest pictures of theirs to ever go viral.


End file.
